Advice on 1st Luger

mrerick · 05-06-2014, 10:18 AM

Bill,

Military accepted Lugers that are as close to the original condition they were shipped from the factory are generally the most highly valued to collectors. There are specific commercial Lugers that are also highly valued. Some are quite common. Import marks, refinishing and replacement of original parts generally eliminates collector interest.

Between numerous variations, some are more rare and thus more highly valued than others.

There are exceptions... There are some variations in Russian Capture and East German Volkspolizei reworked Lugers that are starting to become considered collectible. Generally Swiss Lugers that have been rebuilt through normal armory maintenance programs are considered collectible.

You should think about what you're interested in. A specific era of history? High precision technology? Shooting? Understanding these things will help you make a good choice as Lugers within your interest become available.

Do you have a specific area of interest? "All of the above" will probably not help you narrow it down...

Note that there are many, many variations and choices available. This, naturally, offers many points to make decisions. Markings on rare Lugers are regularly faked to increase their value, so focusing on very rare and expensive Lugers can be quite risky, especially if you haven't studied them well enough to recognize fakery.

A run of the mill mismatched shooter Luger should run $800-$1000. Mid quality matching original finish military accepted Lugers generally start at $1350 to $1500.

The books that collectors use to reference variations may seem expensive, but they are inexpensive when they help you avoid a very costly collecting mistake (say, by identifying a fake, or helping you understand rarity of a varistion).

05-06-2014, 10:18 AM	#11
mrerick Super Moderator - Patron LugerForum Life Patron Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Eastern North Carolina, USA Posts: 3,920 Thanks: 1,377 Thanked 3,135 Times in 1,518 Posts	Bill, Military accepted Lugers that are as close to the original condition they were shipped from the factory are generally the most highly valued to collectors. There are specific commercial Lugers that are also highly valued. Some are quite common. Import marks, refinishing and replacement of original parts generally eliminates collector interest. Between numerous variations, some are more rare and thus more highly valued than others. There are exceptions... There are some variations in Russian Capture and East German Volkspolizei reworked Lugers that are starting to become considered collectible. Generally Swiss Lugers that have been rebuilt through normal armory maintenance programs are considered collectible. You should think about what you're interested in. A specific era of history? High precision technology? Shooting? Understanding these things will help you make a good choice as Lugers within your interest become available. Do you have a specific area of interest? "All of the above" will probably not help you narrow it down... Note that there are many, many variations and choices available. This, naturally, offers many points to make decisions. Markings on rare Lugers are regularly faked to increase their value, so focusing on very rare and expensive Lugers can be quite risky, especially if you haven't studied them well enough to recognize fakery. A run of the mill mismatched shooter Luger should run $800-$1000. Mid quality matching original finish military accepted Lugers generally start at $1350 to $1500. The books that collectors use to reference variations may seem expensive, but they are inexpensive when they help you avoid a very costly collecting mistake (say, by identifying a fake, or helping you understand rarity of a varistion). __________________ Igitur si vis pacem, para bellum - - Therefore if you want peace, prepare for war.